- Jun-Su Bae: Department of Physical Education, Yongin University, Yongin 17092, Korea.
- Eun-Hyung Cho: Korea Institute of Sport Science, Seoul 01794, Korea. ORCID
- Tae-Hee Lim: Department of Taekwondo, Yongin University, Yongin 17092, Korea.
Various theories in the field of positive youth development (PYD) through sport argue that student athletes' satisfaction with basic psychological needs, life skills development, and well-being are closely related to each other. This study identified the structural relationship among three basic psychological needs, life skills, and subjective well-being. Korean Taekwondo student athletes ( = 302, = 17.67, range = 17-19) completed a survey evaluating basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), life skills (teamwork, goal setting, social skills, time management, and leadership), and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive/negative affect). Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, correlation, and the Structural Equation Model (SEM). The model's goodness of fit was ϰ2/ = 2.78, TLI = 0.90, CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.077 (95% CI = 0.70, 0.80), and SRMR = 0.085. The three basic psychological needs were positively related to life skills and subjective well-being. In addition, life skills had a mediation effect between the three basic psychological needs and subjective well-being. The interpretation of the results indicated that life skills development and well-being depend on basic psychological needs. Thus, coaches should encourage a PYD climate to satisfy their athletes' psychological needs.